Egg case packing



March 14, 1961 R. F. REIFERS EGG CASE PACKING Filed Dec. 4, 195'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 BY L/nm.. :Locus ATTORNEY March 14, 1961 Filed Deo. 4, 1957 R. F. REU-ERS 2,974,789

EGG CASE PACKING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .Zig 5.

44 hx A 5 INVENTOR l l' 1 W BY KARL., LOCKS ATTORNEY United States Patent EGG CASE PACKING Richard F. Reifers, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Diamond `National Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 4, 1957, Ser. No. 700,671

3 Claims. (Cl. 2116-65) This invention relates to egg case packing, and more particularly to an improved arrangement and method for packing egg cartons within a case thereof.

'This application is a continuation-in-part of copending application Serial No. 321,669, led November 20, 1952, for Molded Pulp Carton Lock, now Patent #2,843,304, issued luly 15, 1958.

In packing large quantities of eggs for shipment or storage, it has been customary for many years to pack thirty dozen eggs in each case or crate thereof, and two packing systems have generally been employed for this purpose. In one of these systems, each case is divided vertically into two compartments, each of which is designed to receive five layers of eggs, with each of said layers containing three dozen eggs. The eggs in these layers are kept separated by collapsible interlocked vertical partitions known as iillers, and the layers are sepa- A Though it is still standard procedure to pack eggs in egg cases utilizing llers and iiats, another general packing system has been advocated in recent years, wherein the eggs are packed directly into the cartons `of one dozen eggs each, `and thirty of such cartons are packed into each case. The cases are usually divided vertically into two compartments, and these compartments are each designed to accommodate ve layers of cartons arranged in three vertical stacks, with the cartons therein resting directly on top of each other Without any intervening iiats o separating iillers.

Egg cartons are commercially available in many different styles and types. They may be classified broadly into 2 x 6 type cartons and 3 x 4 type ,car-tons, whichv numbers refer to the number of rows and the number of egg receiving cells in each row, respectively. Viewed in plan elevation, the 2 X 6 type cartons resemble an elongated rectangle in conguration, while the 3 X 4 type cartons are more nearly square in horizon-tal crosssection. One type of carton used extensively in the egg industry is generally hexagonal in coniiguration when viewed in vertical cross-section, resembling two trapezoids having equally inclined sides and having a common base line. Although minor variations in contour are evident among the many styles and types of cartons available,

. one common characteristic is the presence of inclined cal stacks, as previously described, there is considerable Y waste or Yunoccupied spacebetween and around adja'- the'space were iilled more eiciently, and insuicient bracing is provided to prevent the cartons from shifting during shipment.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved egg case packing system.

lAnother object of the invention is to provide a new and improved arrangement and method for packing egg cartons into a case thereof, to utilize the space therein more eciently and provide adequate bracing of the cartons.

Other objects and the nature and advantages of the instant invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a 'top plan View of an egg case packed with 2 x 6 type egg cartons in an arrangement embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of an egg case packed in accordance with the invention for another type of egg carton;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of an egg case packed with 3 x 4 type egg cartons in another arrangement embodying the invention;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken along the line 5 5 of Fig. 4; and V Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of a plurality of egg cartons packed in an arrangement embodying the invention.

:Referring to Figs. l and 2, wherein a packing arrangement for 2 x 6 type egg cartons is illustrated, a plurality of egg cartons 19 shown therein are similar to theV extensively used type of carton previouslydescribed. Namely, the cartons 10 are generally hexagonal in con iiguration when viewed in vertical cross-section, re sembling a pair of mated trapezoids having equally inclined sides and having a common baseline. Since one of the trapezoids is inverted on the base line, the side walls of the two trapezoids are oppositely inclined. The sidewalls of the upper trapezoid have `an upwardly convergent taper, while the side walls of the lower trapezoid have a downwardly convergent taper. In overall shape, the cartons 10 approximately resemble hexagonal prisms, but their end walls may be inclined in the same manner as their side walls. It should be noted that there are no projecting locking lugs `or any other projecting members on the exterior of the side walls of the cartons 10, although as is customary a peripheral iiange 12 Vmay project outwardly from the midpoint ofthe cartons where the oppositely inclined side walls of the two trapezoids meet.

The cartons 10 are packed in a rectangular exterior case or crate 14 having a central vertical partition 15 which divides the case 14 into two equal carton receiving compartments 16. The case 14 is also provided with an integral bottom' wall 17, a pair of side walls 18and a pair of endwalls 19. In the lusual manner a cover (not shown) may `beprovided for the case 14.

In accordance with the present invention, the egg cartons 10 packed within the case 14 are @stacked vertically .in a symmetrical staggered arrangement, wherein the car- 12, the inclined side Walls of the -cartons 10 are spaced from and positioned parallel to theroppositely inclined i side walls of the adjacent cartons in the adjacent stacks.

Due to thefact that the'flanges 12 are located intermediate the upper and the lower portions of the cartons 10 and 'approximately at the midpoint of the height of the cartons, these flanges engage the laterally adjacent cartons at their tops and bottoms. Centrally disposed cartons in the interior of the stacks thereof are in engagement with Y adjacent cartons on all. six sides thereof, as shown in Fig. 2, but the ends of the cartons are not adjacent to any other cartons, as shown in Fig. l. Merely as a matter of convenience in illustrating the invention, the Ycompartments 16 of the case 14 are each provided with three stacks or tiers of the cartons 10, and two of these stacks contain ive superposed cartons, while the third stack, which is positioned between the other two, has only four superposed cartons. Hence, the total number of cartons in the case 14 happens to be twenty-eight, but this number may be varied in increments which are multiples of two by employing egg cases of diierent heights. Thus,

, if the case 14 were made higher by an amount equal to half the height of one of the cartons 1G, two more cartons could be accommodated inthe egg case 14, and one of these additional cartons would be placed in each of the central stacks in the two compartments 16. ,In this manner, the case 14 could be made to hold thirty dozen eggs, which Vis the standard quantity customarily employed in the egg industry.

In packing the cartons into the case 14 to form this arrangement, the rst or bottom layerof the cartons may be formed by placing two cartons spaced at opposite sides of the bottom of each of the two compartments 16, the second layer may be formed by placing one carton into the center of each compartment 16 between and into engagement with the twoY previously packed cartons, and adding successive superposed layers alternately corre-V sponding to the first two layers until the case 14 islled.

The above-described symmetrical staggered arrange-V ment of hexagonal cartons in mutual engagement represents the most efficient employment of the available pack- Y ing lspace within any egg case. Although it is apparent in Fig. 2 that at the top and the Vbottom of the central stack in each of the compartments 16 there Yis waste or unoccupied space equivalent to one-half the volume of an egg carton, the remainder of the packing space within the case 14 is lled so compactly that the net result is more ecient usage of the space in comparison with conventional packing systems wherein equal unstaggered vertical stacks are employed. Furthermore, in this staggered arrangement, the cartons lrbrace each other firmly against possible lateral shifting motion during shipment. Of course, suitable fillers could be inserted into the abovementioned unoccupied spaces Yat the top andthe bottom Yof the centralV stacks of cartons to provide additional bracing at these places. 'Y

Details of a slightly dilerent packing arrangement in whichY a plurality of cartons 20 flushly engage and brace case 36 in a symmetrical staggered stacking arrangement forming diagonal columns of the cartons. The. absence of any flanges or other projecting members permits the oppositely tapered side wall of the upper portions 32 and the lowerV portions 34 of adjacent cartons to be wedge against each other in ush engagement over their entire surface areas.

The particular egg carton illustrated in Fig. 6 is disclosed in detail and claimed in the aforesaid copending application Serial No. 321,669, iiled November 20, 1952, for Mold Pulp Carton Lock. The carton disclosed in said copending application is provided with a new type of locking member which is liush with the cover when locked, thereby permitting flush stacking in accordance with the present invention. In this carton, nothing pr0- jects outwardly which could possibly be displaced or damaged by engagement or impact, or which could prevent such staggered tiush stacking. Many of the different styles and types of egg cartons available in the commercial market possess outwardly projecting locking members, and heretofore the projection of such members was not considered objectionable since flush stacking in accordance with the present invention was not contemplated by the manufacturers and consumersV of such 'cartons However, other types of egg cartons are available in which the locking member is ilush with the carton body when locked. For example, J. W. Cox Patent #2,529,- 140, issued November 7, 1950, discloses such an egg carton. Y

The packing arrangement for 3 x 4 type cartons illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 embodies a modification of the invention. For this arrangement a plurality of egg cartons 40, each containing one dozen eggs, are'packed into jan egg case 42, which preferably is not divided by any vertical partitions. The cartons 4) are packed into the case 42 in a staggered stacking arrangement of diagonal vcolumns in nine adjacent vertical stacks, as shown in Fig. 4. These nine stacks are symmetrically positioned infthree adjacent rows and three adjacent horizontal columns at right Vangles thereto. Hence, a carton positioned in the interior of the central stack in this arrangement is in 'contact with adjacent cartons at all six Sides thereof and also each other are shown clearly in Fig. 6. Each of thej cartons 20 comprises an upper trapezoidal portion 22 and Va lower trapezoidal portion 24, which lower portion is inverted with respect, to'the Vupper portion, and these two portions possess a common base where an outwardly projecting peripheral ange 26 is located. The upwardly convergent side walls of the upper portion 22 of the cartons, which are packed in the central stack in each of the compartments of the egg case, are in llush engagement with and wedged against the corresponding downwardly convergent side walls of the lower Yportion 24 of the ad- Vvjacent cartonsin the adjacent tworsta'cks; The projecting'peri'pheral flanges 26 may assist in Vsupporting super-V fr f Fig.` 3 shows a packing arrangement embodying the 'Y linventionV for a type of egg carton in which such project- Ving peripheral flanges haveY been substantially eliminated.

A Ypluralityof cartons '30,'each `having arl-upwardly taperedupper trapezoidal portion 32 and a downwardly /taper'ed lower trapezoidal portionY 34, are packedintoa at both ends thereof. The-3 x 4 type cartons 4t) are geuerally similar in configuration tothe 27X 6 type cartons 10 described in the Afirstv embodiment of the invention, and the cartons 4t) areY provided lwith a projecting peripheral ange 44, but the cartons 40 are more nearly'squ'are when viewed in plan elevation. The anges 44 keep'theV oppositely tapered side walls of the cartons 40 n a's'paced and parallel relationship, in the same manner. as do the anges 12 for the cartons 10. Y

Merely for purposes of illustration as a` suitable example embodying the invention, the egg case 42 is shown Vfilled by Vforty-one of the. egg cartons 40. They'areV contained in five stacks of five cartons each'in engagement with four adjacent stacks/of four cartonsVV each. 'lt is evident that the total number of cartons whichY can be accommodated in an eggV case can be'varied'r'eadilyfby changing the heightof the case employed. Thus, Vbyjincreasing the height of the'case 42 by an amountequal to the height of half of a carton, four more cartons could be packed into the case, thereby making it possible to pack a total of forty-live cartons therein. Y l

In packing the cartons 46 into the case 42 to Yform this arrangement, therst or bottom layer of the cartons may be formed by placing live ofthe cartons on the b ottom of the case 42 to occupy the four corners Aand the centerfthereof. Next, the-second layern inay be formed by placing four of the cartons into the spaces intervening between the previously packed cartons and into engagement with the upper side Vedges thereof. Successive sufperposed layers alternately corresponding to the first two there is waste or unoccupied space equivalent in each instance to one-haltl the volume of an egg carton. However, the remainder of the space available in the case 42 is filled compactly and eflciently, and superior bracing is provided by the cartons themselves without any assistance from fillers. Of course, suitable fillers could be inserted into the above-mentioned unoccupied spaces at the top and the bottom of the stacks, if desired.

Although it is preferred for the egg case 42 to be devoid of any vertical partitions dividing the case into compartments, it is obvious that such partitions may be desired in larger egg cases. However, practical considerations governed by shipping regulations as Well as the maximum bulk and weight that can be most readily handled, would probably result in the use of cases having approximately the capacity of those illustrated and described herein.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specication but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In an egg case package, including a rectangular eX- terior case, and a plurality of egg cartons having a capacity of one dozen eggs each packed therein, each of said cartons having a trapezoidal upper portion provided with upwardly converging inclined side walls and having a similar trapezoidal lower portion provided with corresponding downwardly converging inclined side Walls, the improvement comprising a symmetrical staggered stacking arrangement of said cartons superposed ina plurality of adjacent vertical stacks staggered in height wherein adjacent stacks diier in height by an amount equivalent to about half the height of one carton at both the top and the bottom of the stacks, and said cartons being in mutual engagement and having their inclined side walls adjacent and parallel to the oppositely inclined side walls of laterally adjacent cartons, whereby the available packing space in the case is eiciently occupied and the cartons brace themselves against lateral shifting.

l2. In an egg case package, including a rectangular exterior case, ,and a plurality of egg cartons packed therein, each of said cartons being adapted to contain one dozen eggs, each carton having a trapezoidal upper portion provided with upwardly converging inclined side walls and having a similar trapezoidal lower portion provided with corresponding downwardly converging inclined side walls, the improvement comprising a symmetrical staggered stacking arrangement of said cartons superposed in at least three adjacent vertical stacks staggered in height, wherein one of said stacks diiers in height from that of the other two by Ian amount equivalent to about half the height of one carton at both the top and the bottom of the stack, and said cartons having their inclined side walls in ush engagement with and parallel to the oppositely inclined side walls of laterally adjacent cartons in the adjacent stacks, whereby the available packing space in the case is eiciently occupied and the cartons brace themselves against lateral shifting.

3. In an egg case package, including a rectangular exterior case, and a plurality of egg cartons packed therein, each 'of said cartons being adapted to contain one dozen eggs, each carton having a trapezoidal upper portion provided with upwardly converging inclined side walls and having a similar trapezoidal lower portion provided with corresponding downwardly converging inclined side walls, the improvement comprising a symmetrical staggered stacking arrangement of said cartons superposed in at least nine adjacent vertical stacks staggered in height, said stacks being symmetrically positioned in three adjacent rows and three adjacent columns at right angles thereto, alternate stacks diiering in height from that of adjacent stacks by an amount equivalent to about half the height of one carton at both the top and the bottom 'of the stack, and said cartons being in mutual engagement and having their inclined side Walls adjacent `and parallel to the oppositely inclined side walls of laterally adjacent cartons, whereby the available packing space in the case is eiciently occupied and the cartons brace themselves against lateral shifting.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,112,486 Francis Maf. 29, 193s 2,409,750 Frear oct. 22, 1946 2,517,465 Cox Aug. 1, 1950 2,600,130 Schilling June 10, 1952 2,655,305 schiumg oct. 13, 19,53 

